Manchester United‘s travelling supporters have had little to shout about this season – certainly not in a good way. They have, though, landed on the best European away of the Champions League season.

The Red Army has mobilised from the banks of the River Irwell to the shores of Lake Como for Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Como 1907.

This will be the 149th away game United have played in the European Cup or Champions League, but surely none of the 148 before were played in a setting like this.

The Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium has no business being where it is. That Diogo Dalot’s crosses are more likely to find water than a team-mate says as much about the picture-postcard location as the United full-back’s deliveries.

Como’s home sits on the southern shore of the south-western branch of Lake Como. Right on the water, at the foot of pre-Alpine mountains, where these days you might expect an extortionately-priced hotel or apartments.

Because it is municipally owned and not in private hands, we assume, is the primary reason it wasn’t bulldozed for something far less charismatic during the long periods the club spent in the amateur doldrums.

Thank all the f***s for that. Because what stands there now must be the most unique arena in European competition.

At how many other grounds can you arrive by yacht or seaplane as the Champions League anthem plays and still make kick-off?

For those not playing with INEOS money, the journey on foot is just as pleasant. The Sinigaglia is a 10-minute stroll- lakeside if you wish – from the squares in the heart of a town that was hardly ever a hidden gem but, in recent years, has landed on many more radars than perhaps it can comfortably cope with at the height of summer.

In that respect, the club mirrors its city. Como 1907 have come from nowhere or, more specifically, Serie D to the Champions League in seven years. Which is why United fans might find a stadium as primitive as it is charming.

It is a feat that they are going there at all, and not 140 miles away to Sassuolo. In August, when the draw was made, that is where Como were due to play their home games because the Sinigaglia did not meet UEFA requirements.

Only last month was a rapid programme of redevelopment, including the building of a new stand where the old V-shaped Curva Como stood, signed off by the governing body, allowing Como to make their Champions League debut a week later against RB Leipzig in the place they have called home for 99 years.

After Leipzig, United will be the second continental visitors to Como and getting in early is a good thing.

Cesc Fabregas’s side and the home fans will be enthusiastic hosts, which may be bad news for Michael Carrick, but it is a boon for United’s travelling support. Because the novelty of the Sinigaglia will inevitably wane with each stage of its redevelopment.

It will soon become a shiny new arena befitting of a club and a brand – roll your own eyes – with Como’s ambitions.

The Sinigaglia will always be a destination stadium, one to be ticked off, because of its setting. But heightening the luxury while retaining the soul is a precarious balancing act that few refurbs achieve, especially on the scale Como have in mind.

Make no mistake, the designs look awesome – certainly for the affluent. We can only hope that Como don’t take a leaf out of United’s book when it comes to their ‘legacies’.

For now, the surroundings that house United fans are far less salubrious than they will be in the not-too-distant future. And there is plenty to be grateful for in that.

Of course, the match is only a small part of a European away. Sometimes, in some spots, it’s the bit you’d most willingly sacrifice.

And we only hope United fans aren’t making flying visits. Some destinations lend themselves to in-and-out trips; this one demands at least a couple of days and nights to get on the ferry or, at least, the funicular.

This is the last leg of an eight-day, three-game excursion to Como via Madrid and Elland Road.

The contrast between Leeds and this corner of Lombardy, football by the Lake rather than the M621, should heighten the enjoyment of a maiden trip for travelling United fans. At least until the football starts.